The head of the National Capital Commission says the new home of the Ottawa Senators should be a crown jewel at LeBreton Flats.
Tobi Nussbaum, the NCC’s chief executive officer, told the Ottawa Citizen on a Zoom call with reporters following the pubic portion of Thursday’s virtual board of directors meeting that the club’s new home will be “a landmark” for the city of Ottawa.
“There have been some initial discussions (about design). The design ambitions are shared between the two groups,” Nussbaum said. “We want to see something beautiful, something that demonstrates a major events centre as a real landmark for the nation’s capital.
“Obviously, lots of details in terms of egress and access points and all that kind of stuff.”
The Senators don’t have firm plans for a new arena, but they are working on concepts and what the area surrounding the rink will look like. The club plans to have space for a district with a hotel, restaurants and housing on the land.
Yes, the Senators are purchasing the land, but the NCC does have a say in what’s built there.
While the two sides announced in mid-August that they had reached an agreement for the purchase of land parcels totalling 11 acres at LeBreton Flats, the Senators and NCC are working on all the elements it will take to finalize the sale.
The Citizen has reported that Senators owner Michael Andlauer and his partners have agreed to pay $37 million for the land, which is located 10 minutes West of Parliament Hill.
How long before new arena could be ready?
The expectation is that the Senators will remain at the Canadian Tire Centre, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, for at least five more years.
Nussbaum couldn’t predict when the good people of Ottawa would get to see a groundbreaking ceremony for the new rink, but he stated the two sides are holding regular meetings and the proper progress is being made.
“After the agreement of purchase and sale was completed last summer, talks have continued to help the Senators get to a place where they can move towards shovels in the ground,” Nussbaum said. “I would say that the conversations are going very well.
“There are regular meetings between the teams.”
Cyril Leeder, the club’s president and chief executive officer, told the Citizen in an interview last week that there is a lot taking place behind the scenes.
What kind of issues are there?
Leeder predicted it will be another year of trying to solve issues, which include decontaminating the site, working with Indigenous groups, designing the site and financing.
The cost of the new rink in Calgary is estimated at $1.2 billion, and the Senators are trying to determine how they’ll pay for this.
All these elements need to be addressed before the Senators can confirm a timeline for breaking ground. Nussbaum said both sides are focused right now on the logistics and costs of cleaning the site up.
“Of late, there has been a focus on finalizing the decontamination plan, which will see both parties have a role in that process,” Nussbaum said. “Really, that’s with the goal of getting to the closing date.
“And getting to the point where the Senators can put their shovels in the ground. The news is a bit boring, but very positive in that conversations are going very well. There aren’t any obstacles that are stopping or delaying us from moving forward at the pace that we anticipate.”
But decontamination is a significant issue because it will likely be an expensive and lengthy process. Leeder has stated that the cleanup could begin in conjunction with the start of the construction on the new rink.
“One of the details in that agreement is who does the cleanup and, when do they do it, and how does it get paid for?” Leeder said. “And we’re working through that. I suspect that the cleanup will start when the project starts.
“I don’t think we’re going to or the NCC is going to go in there and clean it up until we’re ready to put a shovel in the ground. What they’re talking about now is, ‘When you’re ready to go, why don’t you do the cleanup at the same time as you’re ready to go, and we’ll just pay you for the cleanup?’ That’s the conversation we’re having now.”
This is all part of the design development agreement that the Senators are negotiating with the NCC. The organization is also working with officials from the city of Ottawa on the logistics surrounding the arena.
“The message I would give this morning: The process is going very well, and we’re getting to a point where, I don’t have the exact moment in time, but both parties are feeling good,” Nussbaum said.
“And the conversations are constructive with every expectation that we can get through those issues to allow the closing date to be executed and to move the Senators to the point where they can put shovels in the ground.”
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